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gottadoit
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Reged: 10/21/03
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Comment on this story.
Patients lament clinic's closing: Many unaware of troubles until arriving
By LORI MONSEWICZ, Copley Ohio Newspapers
Out of pills, the pain returns.
The constant pain that started with everything from a car crash to trying to move furniture that was too heavy.
The people who pull off of I-77 in New Philadelphia and into the parking lot of the Professional Pain Management of Ohio clinic say relief for them comes in the form of hydrocodone pills from Drs. Edward DeHaas and William Napoli.
The Tuesday raid on their pain management clinic by police agencies, the Tuscarawas County prosecutor's office and the Ohio Pharmacy Board didn't stop patients from showing up Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
I really don't understand, said Patricia Spaulding, who arrived for her regularly scheduled appointment Friday morning. She lives in Maryville, Tenn., a 4 1/2-hour drive to New Philadelphia. She was injured in a car crash in 1990, and has been coming to DeHaas' clinic for about four months.
This is the only place that's ever helped me at all, she said.
The clinic's doctors haven't been charged criminally, but their patients' medical charts were seized. Without them, the doctors had no medical history from which to draw and, therefore, could not treat patients.
Can't they just start a new chart?, asked one patient who drove more than four hours for a regularly scheduled appointment. She had hoped for a refill on her Lorcet medication. Lorcet is a highly addictive painkiller.
DeHaas shook his head and looked down, crestfallen.
That would take an MRI and a referral and all their medical history all over again, said the Stark County doctor, who opened the clinic in February. Napoli left his practice in Carrollton in July to join him.
Assistant Tuscarawas County Prosecutor David Hipp refused to return the charts, despite protests by the doctors' attorney, John A. Tscholl. DeHaas announced Thursday night that the clinic would reopen to newly referred patients, but his hopes were dashed Friday morning. Tscholl announced the place remained closed with no reopening in sight.
Investigators questioned the doctors' referral practice, which Hipp said involved three area chiropractors. The clinic can only take patients by referral from other doctors. Hipp claims the clinic would give potential patients a list of chiropractors, who then would refer the patients back to the clinic within as little as a couple hours.
DeHaas said his patients come from 11 states, yet Hipp said all of the license plates in the parking lot during the raid were from Kentucky. Tscholl said the prosecutor targeted Kentucky residents solely out of prejudice, calling the searches of Kentucky residents an unusual form of profiling only those of Appalachian origin.
Kentucky has a problem with prescription-drug abuse.
The problem is almost epidemic, said Ewell Balltrip, executive director of the Kentucky Appalachian Commission. It is without question one of the major human resource problems that this region has.
Law enforcement officials have been battling with increasing frequency illegal trafficking of OxyContin, a morphine derivative used as a painkiller and commonly referred to by law enforcement as hillbilly heroin. Hydrocodone is a relative of that drug, Hipp said, and contains many of the same addictive characteristics. Even radio personality Rush Limbaugh has admitted addiction to the painkillers.
Counties in eastern Kentucky lead the nation in terms of grams of narcotic pain medications distributed on a per capita basis, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Web site at www.dea.gov
The DEA included the trade names of hydrocodone drugs called Lorcet, Anexia, Tussionex, Tylox and Vicodin.
The OxyContin and the Lorcets and really almost any other of this type of painkiller seem to be the most prominent among the abusers and misusers, at least in the form of the anecdotal information that we receive, Balltrip said.
He was not surprised that Kentucky residents would brave the 4 1/2 -hour drive to the New Philadelphia clinic to get the pills.
I think it goes to the issue of supply and demand. They're willing to go where the drug is, he said.
Part 2
Nikki Maynard of Johnson, Ky., who showed up at the clinic Friday for a regularly scheduled appointment said, It's hard to find someone who'll treat you for pain. DeHaas prescribed Lorcet for her about a year ago for pain she suffers from a cracked tailbone, and, she said, It's hard to get off of it after that long.
Debbie Muncy of Maryville, Tenn., which is south of Knoxville, said she's been coming to the New Philadelphia clinic for about four months after word of mouth led her here. She hurt her back moving furniture in 1989 and a car crash worsened it. A heart condition and other medical problems, she said, made her a high risk for back surgery, but DeHaas, 64, and Napoli, 47, are the only doctors who could help me.
For the first time in years, she said, she could clean her house, something pain had, until now, prevented.
Earley and Abigail Muncy drove from Kermit, W.Va., an hour south of Charleston, on Friday for an appointment.
You're in pain and you go into an emergency room and they tell you that you have to go to a pain management clinic, Earley Muncy said.
His wife added, These doctors are the only ones who have been able to help me.
There are people who abuse these drugs, but we're not here because we have a drug problem. We're here because we have pain and we need our medicine.
Kelly Meese, a medical assistant at the clinic, tried to describe the chronic pain many suffer: Imagine having a really bad toothache every day of your life. That's what it's like, she said.
The clinic, which includes eight full-time and two part-time staff members, serves patients from 11 states, DeHaas said. Hipp said the clinic sees about 90 patients a day at $195 cash for the first visit and $145 cash for subsequent appointments.
They have nowhere else to go, DeHaas said. We've helped so many people. Many of them can sleep for the first time in years. Others have lost weight. Others have gone back to work and some have gotten off psychotropic medicines.
He said that most doctors hesitate to treat pain by prescribing appropriate medication because they fear investigation and sanctions by regulatory agencies. As a result, he said, people in pain do not easily function in their everyday lives. He said he treats amputees as well as people injured working in coalmines in the Appalachian region.
I've never heard of any doctors in Kentucky or anywhere else refusing to treat patients, Hipp said. They may have problems with doctors out in the sticks, but they don't have to travel 4 1/2 hours to get here to see one.
Balltrip said that while portions of Kentucky are medically underserved, competent doctors and pain clinics do exist there.
We have adequate physicians in the county where I'm located in the heart of the coal fields, and there are pain management clinics in Eastern Kentucky and in some of the nearby metropolitan areas, he said.
The abuse of these medications is not necessarily linked to a coal-mining population. It's across the board.
What we have encountered are instances where health-care professionals have said that there is a fine line that doctors have to walk in prescribing these pain medications for folks who have a legitimate need for them.
Still, he said, the doctors do not refuse to prescribe them.
The real problem is the people who abuse the drugs, Spaulding, one of the patients, said.
This is really awful, she said. Other people abuse their drugs and it causes those of us that need these drugs to do without and that's what hurts.
By Lori Monsewicz,
Copley Ohio Newspapers
Timesreporter.com
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2muchpain
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Reged: 10/07/03
Posts: 274
Loc: USA
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That is one scary story. I am kind of surprised that the prosecutor refuses to return the medical records. I am even more surprised that a judge would sign a search warrant to seize all of the medical records. What are they going to do? Have one of THEIR medical experts review each and every one? Shouldn't each patient be examined as well? After all, the patients were examined by the doctors in question.
What do our legal experts, DASANI and NJ HOSS, have to say about all of this?
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sjm
Stranger
Reged: 11/11/03
Posts: 18
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Yes, I can see it now, Cranky Judge doubles as Pain Management Doctor with cracker Sheriff serving as receptionist. Judge and Sheriff remain puzzled about bid, tid, and qid inscriptions on funny paper pads, certain that it's another "Drug addict abbreviation for O.D." , says the cranky judge. "Don't these people know that six Tylenol with a six-pack of Budweiser is what they really need", says the cracker Sheriff. "These medical records will provide good fire-starting in our wood burning stove", a source was overheard to reply.
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Dasani
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Reged: 10/29/03
Posts: 286
Loc: FL
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Actually, I'm absolutely blown away by this whole story. One thing that I can assure you is that we have not heard the "whole truth"! There is more to this than meets the eye. Either Prosecutors have been after this guy for some time now, or he finally just pissed off the wrong people. And doing that can have a devastating impact in a small, close knit community where politicians control LE and vice-versa. I'm quite sure we have not heard the last of this either. No matter what happens, somebody's civil rights have been violated and there will be some kind of recourse, however, at this point, everything is incomplete to figure it all out. But that's how the media wants it! They report a half-a$$ story with almost no merit because lawmakers feels that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We shall see how it turns out. But, right now I will make some calls to see if I can find out more about this.
M
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DigitFreedom
Enthusiast
Reged: 12/03/04
Posts: 258
Loc: U.S.A.
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Quote:
Counties in eastern Kentucky lead the nation in terms of grams of narcotic pain medications distributed on a per capita basis, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Web site at www.dea.gov
I have to take issue with somethings in this report. I have lived in Kentucky before. I just dont understand where people get this idea that pain meds are being so freely handed out by the doctors there. Indeed, it had to be one of the stritest places I have ever been to in my entire life!!
Several times I had to go to the ER for kidney stones, and almost every time they acted like I was a criminal and almost never gave me a narcotic pain shot, let alone write a prescription for any such meds -despite kidney stones that were CLEARLY visable with scans and my medical history.
The doctors there seem too paranoid to prescribe narcotics for ANY reason it seemed. I dont understand how that area can have such a reputation still. It's got to be about the single worst place in the country to be in the need of pain medication, as the doctors there seem extremely leary to prescribe any narcotics for any reason.
Im NOT surprised to hear of anyone in Kentucky needing to drive for hours to find an understanding doctor. For the life of me I cant understand where the goverment gets their statistics from. It seems to me that Kentucky is the worst place in the country to find an understanding doctor. (not dising the people or place, ' just the medical situation there)
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D.F.
Fighting for the right to affordable & uncensored internet access for all
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XanHead
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Reged: 11/20/04
Posts: 119
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DigitFreedom-
I live in Southeastern KY & you are EXACTLY right. I have 4 herniated disks in my back after being in a car accident, a Dr did presribe 7.5's to me, but he acted as if I was a professional narcotic seeker & not in pain....Its crazy here - the Dr's are paranoid....Kentucky IS the worst place in the country to find an understanding doctor.
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DigitFreedom
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Reged: 12/03/04
Posts: 258
Loc: U.S.A.
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I know what your saying XanHead. Whats most interesting to me is that the very section of Kentucky (south/east) you reside in, is the area of most concern to the goverment. To hear the goverment tell it, the kind folks of your area have narcotic pain medication flowing up & down the creeks of every hollow... and from my experience thats simply NOT true! Its sad this sterotype is still so prevalent while the opposite is really true. Perhaps a few years ago there was an issue with some doctors of that area over prescribing pain meds, but not now!
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D.F.
Fighting for the right to affordable & uncensored internet access for all
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IMSUSCOT1
Threadhead
Reged: 10/23/02
Posts: 912
Loc: usa
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I live in a progressive metropolitan city that includes the Mayo clinic as one of the major health care providers in our area...however I fly to a small city in another state to get adequate pain management! The fact that you have all these law enforcement "officials" passing judgement on people they don't even know, holding their confidential medical records hostage, so that the patient's cannot even go to another physician with credible proof of their condition and need for pain medication makes my blood boil! I hope each and every "law enforcement official" from the deputies quoted to the DA, the judges and everyone in between suffers directly from an untreatable, painful and permanent condition that robs them of their ability to earn a living, and steals away all of their enjoyment of life! THis is a travesty!
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bronwyn
Journeyman
Reged: 11/11/03
Posts: 54
Loc: bluegrass
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As someone who lives in KY - Many "clinics" in eastern KY have been closed for being pillmills. Some were seeing 1000s of patients a day and doling out hydro and oxy's like candy. The gentleman who delivered me (in another state where he was well known as an ob/gyn for infertile couples) came to KY solely to work at one of these and will now be spending quite a bit of time in prison for doing so. There has been a real problem especially in areas not economically stable and where many do live in constant pain from working in the mines, etc. The problem comes when you can make more on the street selling drugs then it costs in obtaining them and that is many times more than you can get working, on ssi, etc.
The flip side to all of this is that all schedule prescriptions are reported, amounts closely controlled, time restrictions on refills, etc. combined with a total fear of being arrested all leading to increased pain and disability. Many remaining pain clinics only will do proceedures now and won't prescribe anything, even if warrented. Hence why I turned to ops at one point. Fortunately, my doctor and I have come to an agreement and I live more pain free than I have in 4 years (now down to a 2-4 on average from averaging 8-9).
When my mother had her knee replaced, right after surgery when the pain started they gave her percocet 2.5's!!! They didn't want to give her anything stronger in case she got hooked! The doc changed that immediately after a phone call, but that is the general attitude - if you take pills you are an addict and will be treated as such by your boss, your doctor, your pharmacy, many friends, and by the drug taskforce. There is no differentiation here - taking medicine and being dependent is the equivalent of being addicted. The good thing is that most er's and walkins will still help in an emergency, but be ready for a lecture on only receiving meds from one doctor at one pharmacy or else you could be cut off. My doctor even came in and challenged me once on scripts I had gotten. Fortunately I could justify every one and he was happy, but that is becoming more and more common.
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Bronwyn
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DigitFreedom
Enthusiast
Reged: 12/03/04
Posts: 258
Loc: U.S.A.
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Bad news Bronwyn:
There are a ton of rumors going around about a drastic crackdown by the state of Kentucky with it's online prescription data monitoring with regards to OPs. There was a report in The Bowling Green online edition about a high level meeting that had the agenda of changing the laws of the state. There is also a rumor (chatter on a forum here) of a guy that had no previous criminal record being arrested at the hub when he picked up his meds and charged with drug possesion.
If this trend continues, Kentucky will be the worst place... If they crackdown on OP's and the doctors of the state remain as paranoid they already are, there will be little hope for the pain sufferers.
The report about Kentucky's crackdown is here: http://www.bgdailynews.com/articles/stories/public/200501/16/4Lww_news.html
Quote:
Authorities fighting against Internet drug purchases
By Hayli Fellwock, -- 270-783-3240
Sunday, January 16, 2005
The Internet seen by some as a tool of thrift where many of the best prices can be found on a variety of products has been seen lately by federal and state law enforcement officials as an enigmatic setback in the war against drugs.
We are attempting to formulate a way to enact legislation to deal with Internet drug trafficking, said State Attorney General Greg Stumbo after a meeting Wednesday to discuss the increasing problem with prosecutors, federal agents and drug detectives from around the country.
The meeting allowed participants to examine current legislation in Florida and Nevada and discuss legal questions such as enforcing individual states drug laws across state lines.
Stumbo said highly addictive prescription pills such as Oxycontin and hydrocodone have been streaming into Kentucky on a daily basis, primarily from pharmaceutical Web sites based in Florida. They are then distributed illegally.
We dont know how many drugs are coming into this state on a daily basis, but it is an astronomical number, just based on numbers from the state police and prosecutors, he said. Its probably between 50,000 and 100,000 pills a day or more. Its a huge number.
Stumbo said he hopes to have a bill drafted for presentation to the legislature in February to help clean up the Internet drug trafficking without treading on honest citizens rights to pay a bargain price.
The trend of scouring the Net for deals is becoming increasingly common, said Dale Clark, owner of Springhill Pharmacy.
I know there are some people especially senior citizens who have to take quite a bit of drugs who are looking at the Internet to see if they can get them cheaper that way, he said. The problem with the Internet, though, is it begins to bring counterfeit drugs into the system so you may go out there and not know what youre getting. Unless you know the source youre going to get it from, youre taking a great risk.
Clark also said there is no way for someone to track the drugs they order, which sometimes results in a bogus deal.
You can run your credit card and everything and never receive your drugs, he said. Youre just taking a pretty good risk when youre ordering over the Internet.
The inability to track drugs is the exact problem faced by law enforcement and prosecutors.
Currently, pharmacies throughout the state must be licensed and registered with the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting System, which eases the drug-tracking process for law enforcement within Kentucky.
But past state lines, there are no requirements for pharmacies, Stumbo said.
Some out-of-state pharmacies are not licensed in this state and if drugs are shipped in here, we cannot track those, he said. We think the first step is to require the pharmacies that provide drugs or scheduled controlled substances to license themselves and report to KASPER.
As an example, Kentucky is looking to Florida, where pharmacies are licensed and a face-to-face relationship between pharmacists and their patients is required before prescriptions are filled.
You have to clean up the prescription process, Stumbo said. The problem is they are getting prescriptions so what theyre doing is not technically illegal ... (We should) require prescriptions that can only be obtained by being physically present in a doctors office.
We want to try to strike a blow at individuals who are purchasing large quantities of drugs that can be sold on the black market and possessing those drugs with the intent to redistribute them illegally, Stumbo said. Ultimately, that stuff makes its way back out onto the streets.
The Bowling Green-Warren County Drug Task Force, which sent a detective to Wednesdays meeting at Stumbos office in Frankfort, has seen some Internet drug trafficking locally, according to DTF Director Tommy Loving.
Over the last year and a half, weve had about three cases where weve gone in and arrested someone for trafficking and found that they were receiving some of their supplies over the Internet, he said, adding that all the Web sites were based in Florida.
Enforcement may come down to pressing civil charges, Stumbo said.
There is a problem with enforcement, he said. We could have a problem getting them extradited. Its hard enough getting people extradited for murder. People may know they can sit in Florida and send drugs up here and stay one step ahead of the law. Civil penalties may be more of a deterrent.
Stumbo also said he is exploring the possibility of trying to identify drugs as they come into the state, which is often via common carriers such as FedEx or UPS. Those companies could identify and barcode incoming packages for tracking purposes, he said.
But the first and foremost issue, Stumbo said, is grasping just how big a challenge law enforcement officers face.
Everyone knew it was a problem but nobody knew how big it was, he said. Weve just scratched the surface.
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D.F.
Fighting for the right to affordable & uncensored internet access for all
Edited by DrugBuyers (01/19/05 04:49 AM)
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Therion
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Reged: 06/14/04
Posts: 205
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Quote:
I hope each and every "law enforcement official" from the deputies quoted to the DA, the judges and everyone in between suffers directly from an untreatable, painful and permanent condition that robs them of their ability to earn a living, and steals away all of their enjoyment of life! THis is a travesty!
Hear, hear!
The only thing is, these inhumane slimeballs won't have ANY problem getting whatever narcotic analgesia they require. The police evidence lockers are FULL of 'em. "Dep'ty, this is Judge Jerk, bring me a bottle o' them Oxycottins over to th' courthouse, will ya? Muh artheritis is actin' up agin."
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catmom
Board Addict
Reged: 06/20/03
Posts: 330
Loc: Midwest
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LOL "Them Oxycottins" instead of oxycontins! I love the wit on this board! 
Catmom
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"God, please help me to be the person my DOG thinks I already am."
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scarrlett
Enthusiast
Reged: 02/02/04
Posts: 232
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Quote:
The fact that you have all these law enforcement "officials" passing judgement on people they don't even know, holding their confidential medical records hostage, so that the patient's cannot even go to another physician with credible proof of their condition and need for pain medication makes my blood boil! I hope each and every "law enforcement official" from the deputies quoted to the DA, the judges and everyone in between suffers directly from an untreatable, painful and permanent condition that robs them of their ability to earn a living, and steals away all of their enjoyment of life! THis is a travesty!
You and I are on the same page. All I could think of when I read that is those poor, poor patients!! WHAT ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?? It breaks my heart for them. There's just too much to be said here, and I don't know where to begin. What if any one of those patients were the DA's or Judge's wife, mother, father, etc? Maybe then they wouldn't be so quick to shut a place down if they saw their mother's spirits lifted, pain free and cleaning house after years of not being able to do so. TRAVESTY IS the only way to describe this.
Edited by scarrlett (01/20/05 06:05 AM)
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ghost
Member
Reged: 06/29/02
Posts: 192
Loc: Southern/midwest, US
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Someone else from KY here...this state has gone completely over the edge when it comes to controlled substances, especially painkillers. Ever notice how many people from KY are on the various pharmacy watch forums? A lot, by my count, and those are only the ones that identify themselves. It's because we can't get treated LOCALLY anymore. I'm waiting in semi-despair for the banning of OP shipments to this state. While the Oxy problem did exist for a while, they have gone so far overboard in the other direction, it's a joke. I'd be afraid to have surgery here or attend one of these pain management clinics since they love to raid them periodically. It's just a scary, scary thing to me to see this hysteria, and know how many people are suffering because of it.
ghost
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"When the day is long, and the night,
The night is yours alone.
You're sure you've had enough of this life
Hang on...
Because everybody hurts sometimes." REM
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groundeffect
Stranger
Reged: 11/08/04
Posts: 16
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Does anyone know what exactly it takes for someone's medical records to be seized? That shocks me more than anything else in that article. How could that possibly be legal?
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i saw a film today, oh boy -the beatles
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FyErMoN
Journeyman
Reged: 10/01/04
Posts: 75
Loc: Midwest
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Here's whats happened folks in a state thats basically running on NO budget(Illegal,constitutionally speaking).
They have spent ALL of this money trying to eradicate HARMLESS WEEDS (MJ) and Drs, whos job it is to alleviate pain...not walk away from it, do just that......MEANWHILE.....Crystal Methamphetamine sneaks into the picture, Jails are full and overcrowded....And , the state claims it's BROKE and can no longer incarcerate people for harmless(drug ) crimes.
The Governor is checking out a new learjet (our turboprop is outdated), teachers barely getting insurance coverage...and they call this a "Commwealth" state!! LoL
It's more like the broke-welfare state where the Dr's , Lawyers , and CROOKED Politicians benefit(not to mention get prescribed the meds we are denied and break the laws we "Common" citizens are bound by.)
I will be leaving this once great country for British Columbia one day soon...The Rat Race here is just that "A RAT RACE"!!!!
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susamo829
Journeyman
Reged: 12/16/04
Posts: 92
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Cant they seize medical records under the US Patriot Act?Im curious.
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Trey_McC
Old Hand
Reged: 12/07/04
Posts: 411
Loc: Mars
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I dont know.
Here is a link when your finished with the research (in a couple of months) you tell me. lol!
Oh, and then let me know what it has to do with this thread?
http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/usapatriot/
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easycheese20
Stranger
Reged: 08/25/04
Posts: 19
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I live in Eastern KY and the last time I got a perscription locally was when at the dentist. I had a root canal about 4 months ago and the dentist gave me 5 lorcet 7.5s. and 20 amoxicillian. (if have had a root canal before you know how it hurts in the short term)
He told me that if I needed more to call him back and he would call me in some more, but that they were really cracking down on dentists, "cause the authorities have told them a lot of people were trying to go there instead of Dr's offices to try and obtain pain meds so they are now really watching dentists real close." like how many he writes within a month etc.
Is that unreal or what? 5 pain pills for a root canal. Although when I called him the next day complaining of pain he called me in 10 more, and basically apoligized for me hurting and the extra hassel.
Its crazy that he and I have to go to that trouble. Just to be comfortable after root canal for 3 or 4 days. Plus if you have insurance it cost you more money as that is too different persriptions.
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bronwyn
Journeyman
Reged: 11/11/03
Posts: 54
Loc: bluegrass
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The KY Cities are just as bad - fortunately my dentist knows first hand how painful dental work is for me (and she has had many of the same proceedures I have and let me watch a couple - yes I love my dentist). All I have to do is ask and she will give me pain meds for 3-4 days, but if I need more I have to go back in to see her. Fortunately the pain usually becomes a dull ache by then and my regular treatment is enough.
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Bronwyn
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